Durand Cup

Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in India, is also third oldest football tournament in the world, after the English FA-Cup and the Scottish FA-Cup. The Durand Cup football tournament was started in Shimla in 1888 by the, then, India's Foreign Secretary, Sir Mortimer Durand. It was basically initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. Royal Scots Fusiliers bagged the honors in the inaugural Durand cup, by defeating Highland Light Infantry, with score 2-1. The Durand Cup was twice suspended, during the two world wars. It was in 1940 that the traditional venue of the matches was changed from Dagshai to New Delhi.

In the present times, the tournament is hosted by the army and is held at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi. Since India's Independence in 1947, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have earned 16 cups each, resulting in a grand total of 32 cups victory. Right from the time, since the high profile teams from Hyderabad have gone obscured, the tournament is mostly won by the teams from Kolkata (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal) and Punjab (Border Security Force & JCT Mills). The winning team is presented with three trophies - The President’s Cup (Presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad India’s first president) The Durand Cup (The original challenge prize, which is a rolling trophy) Shimla Trophy (First presented by citizens of Shimla in 1904 and since 1965 it is a rolling trophy)

This chain of victories posted by the two teams from Kolkata and Punjab has been occasionally broken, by the other teams participating in the Cup. In 1997, the FC Kochin, from the south, recorded a victory. In the subsequent year, the team from Mumbai, Mahindra United bagged the coveted title. However, Mohun Bagan (Kolkata) was back in force in the new millennium, recording a victory against the Mumbai team. Thanks to the relentless efforts put in by the Indian armed forces, the Durand Cup tradition, has survived major setbacks and managed to stay alive over the centuries.